Elysium
by The Shadow of the Wolf
Summary: Percy Jackson had a rough life, full of sorrow and pain. But now, as lead singer-songwriter and guitarist of the world famous band Elysium, he has it all. And he doesn't want any of it. But what happens to the troubled star when ghosts from a painful past start to reappear? With he be able to survive, or will the memories drag him back to the abyss he barely pulled himself out of?
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is my first story on this site. SO PLEASE REVIEW! I'll take advice, constructive criticism, suggestions, and even plain criticism. Also sorry if it sucks. I hope you enjoy it anyways.- The Shadow of the Wolf **

Prologue

To an ordinary person watching Perseus "Percy" Jackson walk home that day, no one would have thought anything of him. He was tall, at about 6'2'', but painfully skinny, with raven black hair that hung just below his sea green eyes. Other than his eyes, nothing about Percy stuck out. No one bothered to take a second look at the Senior from Goode High School.

Percy walked through the streets, skillfully dodging the people who crowded the streets of San Francisco. Over his right shoulder his school backpack hung, full of books that would go unread and work that would never be finished. In his left hand he held a guitar case.

It didn't take Percy that long to walk home from Goode, it was only a twenty-minute walk, but he still walked slowly. The twice-daily walk was one of the few things that he enjoyed in life.

Eventually, he made his way from the crowded, winding streets to the empty streets that ran under the highway. After another five minutes of walking, he was home.

Percy Jackson lived under a bridge.

_If the kids at Goode ever found out about this, I'd be dead_. He thought bitterly. Goode High School was one of the most prestigious schools in San Francisco. It was a public school, but most people there were either outrageously rich or geniuses, and Percy was neither. The Kids at Goode loved to torment him about it. His clothes, his grades, why he always walked to school, everything. But living under a bridge? They'd never get over that one.

As he walked over to his usual spot, a blanket with a tiny bag next to it, Percy almost jumped out of his skin. There was a person sitting next to it.

"Who the hell are you?" Percy growled at the stranger. "And why the hell are you here?"

"Relax buddy" The stranger replied. "I'm Nico di'Angelo. And I'm here because I need a place to sleep"

"Well" Percy said, his voice full of acid "This bridge belongs to somebody else"

"Come on man" the stranger, Nico, said "I've got nowhere else to go"

Percy studied Nico. He looked like he was about Percy's age, and was a little shorter than him. Nico had long black hair, that came down to his shoulders. His skin was almost deathly pale. Nico wore all black, but his clothes weren't much better than Percy's. When Percy looked at Nico's coal black eyes, Percy saw desperation, yet a hint of defiance, that reminded Percy of himself. At his feet, two bags sat. The first bag was a backpack that looked stuffed to the brim with things. The second was a long, jet-black case. Percy recognized it immediately. It sealed the deal.

"Fine" Percy said. "You can stay. We'll work something out." With that, Percy dropped his backpack, and set the guitar case down on the ground, before dropping down next to Nico.

"Do you play?" Percy asked, gesturing to the case at Nico's feet.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I do" He responded

"Guitar or Bass?"

"Bass" Nico replied, a little smugly.

"I think we're going to get along just fine then, Nico" Percy said with a smile, before reaching down, and opening up his own guitar case.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:This is the third time I've written one of these today. This chapter is for Jake Wolf, CreCra, and DragonClan, my first three reviewers! Thank you guys so much! And thank you to all the people who read, favorited or followed this story! **

**I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I think I forgot to say that last time.-The Shadow of the Wolf. **

Chapter One: Six months later

Percy Jackson sat, leaning against one of the many support pillars under the bridge, opposite the small junk shack he and Nico had built over the past months. The two of them had become good friends, united by their love of rock, and their love of guitar.

At Percy's feet sat his school bag, and in his hands he held his beloved, dark blue, electric guitar Riptide. He strummed the guitar, playing a long, slow melody, to match the early morning. Eventually, his mind began to wander.

Today was a Tuesday, and he had to go back to Goode again. Seven long hours of boredom, added to the daily torture he received at the hands of the "Rich and Popular" crowd, and their hang-arounds. There were few people Percy hated more than them. To make things worse, he had to see _Her_. Out of all the people in the world, there probably wasn't anyone Percy Jackson hated more than her.

Suddenly, the melody coming from Riptide's amp changed, going from a slow melody, to an angry, fast one, to match the fire Percy felt inside him. As the sun climbed higher into the sky, Percy sat playing his guitar, transitioning back and forth between his calm and angry melodies.

Time passed and Percy kept playing, until he realized he was being watched. He stopped sharply, and looked up for the "intruder" but found only Nico.

"You're finally awake" Percy said, chuckling "Jesus man, you sleep like a damn corpse." Nico just shrugged, and blew some of his long hair away from his face. "How long have you been up?" Percy asked

"Long enough." The other boy said. "You know Perce, you're really good. You ever considered starting a band"

"Nah" Percy replied. "And even if I did, who'd want to work with a homeless teenager?"

"Hey!" Nico protested, feigning outrage "What about me? You forget about your bass guitarist already?"

"Fine. What drummer would want to work with two homeless teenagers?"

"You're a really talented guitarist, Perce. How the hell did you end up out here?"

"I ran away"

"Seriously? Why?"

Percy contemplated this question for a moment. _He's been with me for six months, and I already know why he's here. He deserves to know about me. _

It was true. A few days ago, Nico had told Percy why he was with him. His older sister, Bianca, had died in a car accident last year. Bianca had cared for Nico like a mother, always there for him, even if their parents were actually around. Her death destroyed Nico.

Nico's parents couldn't understand why Nico was so distraught. When he didn't show any signs of "Improvement" or stopping grieving, they tried to force him to. When that didn't work, they kicked Nico out onto the streets.

Finally Percy began to speak. " We were a very poor family. It was just me, my mom, and stepfather, and my stepfather liked to gamble away everything he earned. In July, just before my sophomore year started, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. It was too far along for it to be treated. All they could do was keep her alive longer. We tried, but we didn't have the money to pay. She died that October." Percy said, wiping away the tears forming in his eyes.

"At the same time, my best friend..." _NO. _a voice in Percy's head said. _Don't go there yet._ "Long story short, after that, things were bad enough for me to do this" Percy said, pulling up one of the long sleeves of his flannel t-shirt to reveal over a dozen thin white scars running horizontally across his wrist. "And I ran away. I grabbed Riptide, some clothes, a little money, and left. and here I am now."

"Jesus Perce. I'm sorry." was all Nico said.

"It's alright. what's in the past is in the past, and there's nothing I can do about it"

There was a tense moment between the two of them, which Nico broke by saying "But seriously. We should totally form a band"

"No"

"Why?" Nico pleaded

" 'Cause it just ain't happening Nico. Now stop begging. You look ridiculous."

"Well we still need to earn money. And if you won't start a band, there's another way"

" And what is that?"

"When you get to school, and have free time, find a public place. Leave your case open, and just play Riptide. People will love you, and throw money in"

"No" Percy flat-out refused. "I'm not taking anything from those people"

"I thought you might say that" Nico said, a mischievous grin on his face. "so let's make it a bet. If you come back with more than, let's say, five dollars, I win, and you have to find us a drummer. If you have five or less, than you win, and you don't have to dumpster dive for two weeks"

Percy contemplated this idea. He really didn't like dumpster diving, but neither did Nico. But he really didn't want Nico to win. "Alright. On two conditions. One: If I win, I'm not dumpster diving for a month. Two: You need to go and find some food today. We're almost out."

"Deal" Nico said, shaking Percy's outstretched hand. "When I win, you get to be lead singer. I'm just a simple guitarist"

"Yeah right. I gotta get going to Goode"

As Percy grabbed his things and was about to go, Nico asked him another question/.

"Why do you go there every day? We both know that you hate that place, and that they torture you there"

Percy looked over his shoulder at the boy in all black. "Because, Nico. I made a promise. To the people who I cared about the most. And I'll be damned before I break this one too." With that Percy set off.

* * *

After another incredibly long day of torture, at last the moment of truth had finally arrived. When Percy arrived at the shack that he and Nico shared, he wasn't surprised to see the other boy standing outside the shack, with an expectant look on his face.

"Well?" Nico asked. Percy just grinned and shock his head. Nico looked crestfallen. He could almost see the thoughts of a month of dumpster diving going through Nico's head. Percy wanted to laugh.

Instead, he set Riptide's case on the ground and opened it. Nico stood speechless, as dozens of shiny, silver coins spilled over the edge of the case, and clattered off the concrete.

Percy grinned, looking happier than he'd been in a long time. He said "I guess I gotta find us a drummer now"


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again readers! I'm trying to update every day, but we'll see how it goes. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers. I've got nothing but good feedback from you guys! On to chapter 3! **

**I'm not Rick Riordan. You should know that by now. **

Chapter 3: School

Percy POV

For the past two weeks, Percy had played for tips at Goode, all the while searching for a drummer to work with Nico and him. Since it was a rather warm day, most people were spending their free time at the benches and picnic tables that sat outside one of the entrances to Goode.

At lunch, Percy walked outside and picked a table at random. He sat on top, and got Riptide out, ready to play. He started out slow and soft, barely audible. Slowly, he began getting faster, the chords becoming angrier, and rougher. The nickels and dimes slowly started appearing in the guitar case, as the melody coming from Percy's guitar grew louder and faster.

The louder the music became, the more people it drew in. Soon Percy had a small crowd assembled in a half-circle around his table. Suddenly the music's volume hit its peak, and with a crashing sound, cut off completely in the middle of a chord. The people around him gasped in shock. With a smile only he knew was there, Percy started playing again, very softly, in the exact same melody as in the beginning. Slowly, it grew softer and softer, until it cut out completely.

The people around him clapped, and more than a few threw more change into the case at Percy's feet. Just as he started the opening chords of the next song, a very angry voice cut through the music.

"Jackson! That's our table. Move your ass NOW!" Percy looked up from his guitar to find the crowd around him had disappeared after the shouting.

_Great_ He thought bitterly _I'm on my own now. _Not turning around to face the speaker, Percy picked up Riptide's case and set on the table, gathering up the change inside. Then same voice shouted at him again

"Are you deaf, Jackson? Move!" Still, Percy didn't react. Instead he just grimaced to himself, and began shoveling the change into a pocket of his backpack. He was setting Riptide back into its proper spot, when the voice yelled at him a third time.

"JACKSON!" Percy finally turned around, and found himself face to face with his main tormentors; The "Rich and Populares". Despite the fact that Percy hated almost all of them, he knew who most of them were.

The main group was Piper McLean, Drew Tanka, Ethan Namakura, Rachel Dare, Reyna Ramirez-Arrellano, and Jason Grace. Percy didn't actually hate Jason. In his mind, the dude was just a follower, who went along with everything because he was forced to. Then there were the hang arounds, the people who weren't a part of the group, but wanted to be. Percy never actually bothered to learn their names. Finally, at the head of the group was Annabeth Chase, the Queen Bee, yet one of the smartest people in the school, and her boyfriend Luke Castellian, Captain and Quarterback of the football team.

* * *

Jason POV

Jason stood in the back of the group and watched as Annabeth glared daggers at Percy, and they seemed to just bounce off his back.

She shouted again. "JACKSON!"

Finally Percy turned around, his face blank. Jason couldn't help feeling bad for Percy. The kid went through this every day, yet here he was, not putting up a fight.

"Move" Annabeth commanded, yet person just stood there. Jason was shocked. Not many people could look an angry Annabeth in the eyes and not react.

Then Luke shoved his way forward, so he was next to her. "Did you not hear my girlfriend, Jackson? Do what she says." Still, Percy did nothing. _This kid's crazy. He's going to get killed _Jason thought _Still, he's got guts. And talent. I've never heard anyone play guitar like that. _

Jason was knocked out of his musings by Luke, saying "Do I need to remind you to listen to your betters, Jackson?", before slugging Percy in the gut. Hard. Percy doubled over, clutching his stomach, wheezing.

"That should teach you a lesson" Luke said, looking down at Percy, before looking back up at the table. "That's a really nice guitar, Jackson. Who'd you have to rob to get it?" When Percy didn't respond, Luke continued. "Maybe I'll keep it for myself"

Before Luke's hand even touched the case, Percy shot up. There was a blur of incredibly fast movement, so fast Jason couldn't see what happened. When his mind finally registered what it was seeing, Jason's jaw hit the floor.

Percy Jackson had Luke Castellian by the throat.

For a moment, no one moved. Then Percy tightened his grip on Luke's throat slightly, but enough to make the other boy start wheezing.

"If you ever, even _think _about touching that guitar," Percy growled threateningly, his voice low and full of hate. "I will snap your neck in half. Understand?"

A shocked Luke could only nod, while the rest of the group watched, too shocked to move. Percy shoved Luke backwards, causing him to fall flat onto the cement.

Percy calmly turned around, closed the guitar case, and walked away without another word, leaving two dozen people speechless.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello again people! I'm trying to get around to updating every day, but we'll see how things go. Again, thank you all for reading and reviewing! There's not much else I have to say, so lets go on to chapter 3! **

**I don't own any of the Characters from Percy Jackson, or any of the songs that will start appearing. **

Chapter 3: A drummer

Jason POV

The school day had finally ended, and Jason was growing more and more nervous by the minute. What if somebody saw him? He knew Annabeth and Luke would be furious if they found out he was about to do. _Grow a pair man._ He mentally lectured himself. _Besides, they won't kill you over simple conversation, right? _Oh, Jason really hoped that was true.

He took a deep breath, and walked through the crowds of people flowing out the doors, towards the picnic tables where the already infamous incident between Percy and Luke had happened that morning. Only one table was occupied. Percy Jackson sat in the exact same place as he did that morning, playing guitar. Jason fished around in his pockets for some change, then tossed a quarter and a dime into the case. It was all he had on him. Percy didn't even look up, instead he just sat there playing.

For the next few minutes, Jason stood there awkwardly, waiting for Percy to finish. When the song ended, Jason thought to himself, _it's now or never. _

"Hey" Jason said, causing Percy to look up. For a moment, Percy looked almost happy. When he recognized Jason, he scowled

"It's you" Percy said, his voice flat "What do you want?"

"To talk" Jason said, rather lamely

"About?"

"Music" That seemed to surprise Percy. Jason suspected nobody in this school every wanted to talk to him, let alone about music, which Percy was obviously very good at.

After a moment Percy replied "Won't they, like, banish you if they see you here?"

Jason just shrugged. Both of them knew who "they" were. "Probably" He answered.

"And you don't care?"

"Nope" Jason answered, honestly. Then it was his turn to be surprised, as Percy's face broke into a smile. "What?" Jason asked

"I always knew it" Percy half-answered. When Percy saw Jason's confused face, he elaborated "That you, Jason Grace, one Goode's best football players, in good with all the right people, were just a follower, too scared of Luke and Annabeth to do anything for yourself"

Jason was speechless. No one had ever said anything like that to him. Yet, part of him thought it was true. He didn't really do things for himself, and he was scared of Luke and Annabeth.

"If you're through with those people" Percy said, bringing Jason back down to Earth "Then have a seat, and we'll talk. If not, and you still have even a scrap of loyalty to people, then leave, and forget this every happened"

Jason didn't even need to think about this choice. He sat down next to Percy. "Good choice" Percy said. Jason grinned.

"You know, you're good with that guitar. You ever consider starting a band?" Jason asked.

"Suprisingly, yes. " Percy said, with a small laugh. I lost a bet to my...friend, and now I gotta find us our third member"

"What was the bet?" Jason asked

"That I wouldn't make any money playing guitar here." Percy said, gesturing to the specks of silver dotting the inside of his case "As you can see, I lost"

"I can" Jason said, laughing. After watching Luke and the others torture this kid day in and day out for almost three years, he couldn't understand how Percy could still make jokes and laugh. "So who've you got in your band?"

"Just me and Nico, a bassist" Percy replied. "We still need a drummer"

"Seriously?"

"Why? Do you know one?"

"Maybe I do" Jason said, with a small smile

"That's what I thought. So, you want in?"

"Definetly"

"Good. We should meet today to get started"

"Sounds good"

"How about your house, in an hour?"

"An hour? Isn't that too soon? Don't you have stuff to do, like homework?"

"Nope"

"Ok then. In an hour" Jason said, tearing off a scrap of paper out of his notebook, and handingit to Percy.

"See ya then" Percy said, as he got up and waved.

"See ya" Jason said to Percy's back.

As Percy left, Jason wondered to himself _How's Thalia going to deal with this?_ Then Jason set off for home.

* * *

**30 minutes later**

"Thalia?" Jason said as he walked through the door of the house he shared with his older sister.

"Jason?" She replied, coming out of her room. "What took you?"

"Made a new friend and started a band"

"Ha. That's funny. Seriously, where were you?" Thalia demanded. At 26, Thalia was going to college in the city, but still acted like she was Jason's mother. Which, to be fair, she almost was, as she raised him since she 16, and he was 8.

"You don't believe me? Thalia I'm hurt!" Jason said sarcastically.

"You weren't joking?" She asked, shocked.

"Nope. They'll be here in a half hour"

"You didn't even tell me first?" Thalia asked darkly

"Sorry" He said sheepishly, before walking into his room, and throwing his backpack onto the floor.

The half-hour passed quickly, and before Jason knew it, there was a pounding on their front door. He shot up, but Thalia beat him to the door.

"Can I help you?" She asked, annoyed

"Um, Hi" Percy said. "I think we have the wrong house, but I'm looking for Jason Grace" Jason chuckled. Percy sounded nervous, and Jason couldn't blame him. With her punk clothing, spiky black hair and electric blue eyes, Thalia was a very scary looking person.

"He's my brother" She said acidly "What do you want with him"

"Umm.." Percy started, but Jason saved him. "It's okay Thalia. You can let them in." Reluctantly, Thali moved aside, and let the two boys in.

"Percy, how 'bout you guys go out to the garage and I'll be there in a minute" Jason said, pointing to the door to the garage. Percy nodded, and started off, the dark-haired boy following close behind. Soon they disappeared into the garage and left Jason with Thalia.

"Is that Percy JAckson?" She hissed at him, her voice barely a whisper. "The one you told me about, from school?" Jason nodded, and she continued. "How much do you know about him?"

"Umm... He's poor, I think he has a roommate, an he plays awesome guitar" JAson whispered, as he turned around to go into the garage.

"Good luck" Thalia called after him. Jason nodded in thanks. He didn't know what to expect from the next few hours, but he definetly didn't expect that they would change his life forever


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello** People! I'm so sorry I couldn't update yesterday, but it was the first swim practice of the year, and I passed out as soon as I got back. Sorry! This chapter is dedicated to Jake Wolf, for letting me discuss my ideas with him and offering great advice. So enjoy people!-The Shadow of the Wolf. **

**I don't own any of the characters, or any of the songs that will start to appear. **

**Also, bonus points to whoever names the real name, artist, and album of the song in this story! NO CHEATING!**

Chapter 4: Garage Band

Jason POV

When Jason walked into his garage to meet Percy and who he assumed was Nico, he had no idea what to expect. He definitely hadn't expected them to start off without him. Or for Percy to be singing. Which is exactly what he found.

Percy and Nico were playing their guitars, to the tune of some song Jason had never heard before. Neither of them seemed to realize he was there, so Jason waited, listening to the melody of the song. Then Percy started singing.

_I need an easy friend _

_I do, With an ear to lend _

_I do, Think you fit this shoe _

_I do, But do you have a clue? _

_I'll take advantage while _

_You hang me out to dry _

_But, I can't see you every night _

_Free_

Jason could only marvel at all the talent Percy had. He could sing, not like those pop and rap singers who sang fast and high-pitched, but instead his voice was deep, and full of emotion. It seemed to fit perfectly with the music Percy played.

When he finished the second stanza, Percy stopped playing , and turned to Nico. "That's all I've got" He said, before acknowledging Jason's presence with a nod of his head.

For the first time, Jason truly felt nervous. This was it, the moment he had thought about for hours.

"Nico, this is Jason. He's gonna be our drummer, so now you can get off my case" Percy said, gesturing to him. "Jason, this is Nico, my...roommate" Nico stuck out his hand, and offered it to Jason, who shook it.

"Should we get started?" Jason asked, and Percy and Nico just nodded. As Jason sat down behind the set of drummers that were up against one of the garage walls, he couldn't help but think about Percy's visible hesitation before he said roommate.

* * *

After three hours of almost non-stop music, Jason thought he was going to go deaf. After listening to Percy play at school, Jason hadn't realized that Percy was very good at playing _very loud._ It was like something had been set free inside him, and he was pouring it all into his music.

They had been working on three songs, two of which were almost complete. They just needed words. Which happened to be Percy's job. And he was stonewalled. He had been staring off into space, muttering to himself, when Nico looked down at his watch.

"Perce" He said, trying in vain to get Percy's attention. "Percy!" Still nothing. "Damn it. JACKSON!" Finally, Percy shook himself out of his musing, and looked at Nico, slightly annoyed.

"What?"

"Dude, it's seven. We should get going" Nico said

"Really?" Percy asked, already closing up his guitar case.

"Yeah"

"You guys are leaving already?" Jason asked, a little disappointed. He had enjoyed playing music with Percy and Nico. The three of them seemed to work well together.

"Yep." Percy said, with a smile "But don't worry. We'll be back tomorrow. If you'll have us"

"Of course man!" Jason said, returning Percy's smile as he got up from his seat behind the drummers. "This was awesome!" he said, as the three of them started walking towards the door. When they got out into the house, and were turning to leave, when Thalia stuck her head into the hall.

"Are you guys leaving?" She asked. Percy and Nico just nodded. "So, you're not staying for dinner?"

_Dinner?_ Jason thought, shocked _Thalia doesn't cook. _Jason shot his sister a look, saying: _Since when do you cook?, _and Thalia mouthed something like _Since always. Now shut up_, before looking over to make sure Percy and Nico hadn't noticed. They hadn't.

Percy stood with his head in his hands, half looking at Nico, grinning and shaking his head. Nico looked up at Percy, with an expression on his face like the one you would find on a small child begging _Can we? Can we, can we, can we?" _With Nico's long dark hair, and black clothing, it was a pretty funny sight, actually. And obviously, Percy thought so too, as he was attempting to not start laughing.

"Fine" Percy said, sighing and shaking his head. "But you, Di'Angelo, owe me big time". At this, Nico grinned. Jason laughed, and turned to lead the two of them to the kitchen.

It turned out Thalia had just stuck some frozen pizza in the oven. Jason was fine with this. Frozen pizza wasn't that unusual when Thalia was cooking. But Percy and Nico were practically drooling at the smell alone. It was like they'd never had anything from an oven. Then Jason remembered how Percy was tormented just for being poor. _Still_. Jason reasoned to himself _It's not like he could be that poor that he doesn't have an oven_.

Dinner passed quickly. The four of them making small talk, while Percy and Nico managed to avoid most of the questions about their lives with vague responses. Their unwillingness to talk seemed odd to Jason, and it looked like it seemed that way to Thalia too.

They sat in silence for a moment, until Percy stood up. "We really should get going. Thank you so much for the food". He tapped Nico on the shoulder, and the two of them went to grab their instruments.

"Wait," Thalia said, as she fished around in her pockets. Finally she pulled out a crumpled up twenty. "It's late. Call a cab or take the bus"

"Um... I can't take that from you" Percy said, sheepishly, and more than a little nervously.

"You can. And you will" She ordered. Percy looked like he was going to protest, but instead just nodded, and gingerly reached out and took the bill.

"Thanks for everything" Percy said, still holding the bill like it was a grenade. "See you tomorrow?"

"Definetly"Jason said. And with that, Percy and Nico grabbed their instruments and vanished.

Another three hours later, Jason wandered the house aimlessly after Thalia had gone to sleep. He had loved making music with Percy and Nico, and was thinking about if they started performing. As he walked past the front door, his head was so full of dreams that he almost didn't notice the front door was still unlocked. _Strange, _Jason thought, before grabbing the keys and heading back to the door. When he got close, he stopped in his tracks.

There, wedged between the door and its frame, was a folded up, wrinkled twenty-dollar bill.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm back people! And I have an announcement to make. Now, because of swim team, I won't be able to update daily. It will probably be more like twice a week, at most. Sorry. But the story will go on! Enjoy-The Shadow of the Wolf **

**I'm not Rick Riordan. I think I've made that clear by now **

Chapter 5: Elysium

Percy POV. Three weeks later.

It was midnight, and Percy and Nico were still at Jason's house. Lately, the three of them were playing well into the night, trying to crank out songs, and perfect old ones. So far, they had finished two: _About a Girl _and _Come as You Are_. Three songs; _Dumb, You Know You're Right, and Aneurysm, _ just needed the words finished, and one needed a complete set of lyrics.

Percy leaned against the wall, panting, as they finished a run through of their unfinished songs. He looked around at Jason and Nico, who were both in a similar state. Nico lay on his back on the floor, and Jason sat with his back against his drums.

"So" Percy said, still panting. "Question of the century: When do we perform?" Jason just shrugged, while Nico whined.

"Not now. With great musical talent...Comes a great need to take a nap. Wake me up later." Nico said, still staring at the ceiling.

"Not a chance, dead boy." Percy said, as he flung a closed water bottle at Nico's face. "But seriously. I think we should perform"

"Yeah. But how? When? And where?" Jason asked.

"Open the garage door" Percy said with a smirk.

"Sounds good to me" Jason said. "For the when, how 'bout in two weeks?"

"TWO WEEKS?" Percy asked, shocked. He couldn't finish four songs in two weeks. "Are you crazy?"

"Nope" Jason replied. Seeing the shocked look that was still on Percy's face, he continued. "Think about it. It gives us time to tighten up our songs, and it pressures you to finish at least two songs"

Percy mulled this over in his head, considering it. Finally, he nodded. "Deal." He said. "What do you think, Ni..." Percy began to ask, but he was interrupted by a perfectly timed snore. With a sigh, Percy looked over to find Nico completely asleep, with a water bottle still on his face.

"Damn it Nico" Percy muttered to himself. With that, he grabbed the bottle, unscrewed the top, and poured its contents directly onto Nico's face. Nico shot up, spitting water out of his mouth, looking miserable. "We decided we're going to perform in two weeks" Percy said, bringing Nico up to speed.

"What, I don't get a say in this?" Nico asked

"Nope. You were asleep. That's why" Percy said, anticipating Nico's next question. Nico's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Okay. Fine. But can we please get some food? I'm starving."

Percy nodded and laughed, saying "All you do is eat and sleep Nico. I swear, I could replace you with a dog, they'd still be twice as productive as you"

"Ouch man." Nico said, returning Percy's laugh, and pointing to the right side of his chest. "That hurt. Right here"

"You're heart's on the left, Idiot" Jason said, beating Percy to it.

Nico frowned. "whatever. Can we go find food now?"

"Yes. We most definitely can" Percy said, holding open the door as the three of them filed into the house.

* * *

Jason POV

As soon as the three of them were in the house, Nico made a beeline for the kitchen, with Jason and Percy walking slowly behind him. When they finally caught up to Nico, they found him slumped in a chair, with a wild look on his face, eating Cheerios out of the box on the table. It looked absolutely hilarious. Both Percy and Jason broke down into fits of laughter.

"What?" Nico asked, annoyed

Jason just shook his head, still grinning. "Out of all the food in this house, you _had_ to pick my Cheerios"

"Yep" Nico said, pouring out some of the box onto the table, and offering it to the other two. "I like Cheerios"

"Nico, You like almost everything" Percy said, finally having recovered from his laughing fits.

"True. But so do you." Nico retorted, as the other two sat down around the table.

"Very true." Percy said, giving a small laugh, then proceeding to flick a cheerio from the table at Nico's face.

For the next half hour, the three of them sat around the table, making jokes, eating, and occasionally flicking Cheerios at each other. They tried to be quite, for Thalia's shake, as she was asleep, and none of them wanted to deal with a sleep-deprived Thalia. _That would be terrifying. _Jason thought to himself.

Unfortunately, Percy chose that exact moment to flick another cheerio at Nico's face. The little piece of cereal hit Nico square in his left eye. All three of them lost it.

"Ahhh! Jesus Percy, that freaking HURT!" Nico exclaimed, with both hands over his eye.

"S... Sorry Nico...Just...Your face!" Percy managed through his laughter before breaking down again, while Jason sat with his head on the table, cracking up.

"Jason? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?" A voice suddenly shouted, jolting the three of them out of their laughter. Thalia stood in the doorway. And she looked pissed.

"What the hell are you two still doing here?" She asked, glaring at Percy and Nico. "It's midnight!"

"It is?" Nico asked, while Percy just muttered "Oops"

"Yeah, _Oops_" Thalia said. "How far away do you guys live?"

"Forty minute walk" Nico said quietly, and Percy nodded

"Do you guys have a ride?" She asked. Both Percy and Nico's heads shook in response.

"No one? Not a parent or a friend or anybody?"

"Nope"

"Alright. Give me ten minutes" Thalia said, shaking her head. "And Jason? Go to bed." Jason sighed, and got up, leaving the kitchen. He turned around, to say goodbye the Percy and Nico, and saw looks of confusion on their faces.

"Why do you need ten minutes?" Nico asked lamely.

"To get ready. I'll give you guys a lift home." Jason watched as the looks of confusion on their faces suddenly turned to something like alarm.

"No its fine" Percy said, shooting out of his chair. "We'll make it back on our own. Come on Nico." He nodded, and got up.

"Its like midnight, guys. There are no buses or taxis at this hour." Thalia insisted. "And besides, why not?"

Percy shot a questioning look at Nico. Nico returned it with another one. Soon enough they were in the middle of a silent conversation. To the best of Jason's knowledge, it went something like this:

Percy: _Should we tell her? _

Nico: _I think so_

Percy: _Do we trust them? _

Nico: _I'm pretty sure. Plus, Thalia is pretty scary. _

Percy: _Ok. Also, you're a total wimp _

Nico:_ I am. And you're telling her. _

Percy: _Why? _

Nico: _Because she scares me, and I think she likes you more _

Percy: _Fine. _

"Well..." Percy said, obviously very nervous. "It's not really a house. It's more like a...scrap shack" Percy mumbled.

Both Jason and his sister stood, open-mouthed. _Percy was homeless?_ Jason couldn't wrap his mind around that. Percy has so much talent, but he lives under a bridge?

"WHAT?" Thalia said, regaining her speech. "YOU TWO LIVE IN A SHACK?"

"Under a bridge" Percy clarified.

Neither Jason nor Thalia could speak after this shocking revelation. _I knew he was poor, but homeless?_ A long pause followed, with a speechless Thalia and Jason staring at Percy and Nico who were shifting awkwardly.

"Look" Percy said after some time. "We'll just go. If you don't want anything to do with us, now that you know, you don't have to. I get it. You wouldn't be the first ones." With that, he turned around and left, Nico following close behind.

"Percy, Nico, wait!" Thalia shouted, before running of towards the door. Jason took off after her. Weaving through the house, they caught up to Percy and Nico as they were leaving through the front door.

"Wait" Thalia said. When Percy didn't respond, she grabbed his shoulder, and spun him around. "Look Percy, we're not going to abandon you for something like this."

Percy looked at them, mouth open. Nico did the same. The two of them stood there for a moment

"You're not?" Percy finally asked in a small voice.

"Of course not." Jason said.

"Why would we abandon you for something out of your control?" Thalia asked, her eyes full of concern. "We're with you, both of you." She said, putting and arm of each of their shoulders.

"Now, will you two come into the damn house? You can spend the night here." They nodded, and followed the Grace siblings into the house.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm back! So sorry about the long wait. My English teacher just gave us a bunch of projects, and with that, swim practice, meets, and testing week, I have no time. I'll try to update whenever I can. Onto the story! Enjoy- The Shadow of the Wolf **

**I don't own Percy Jackson, or any of these songs. Also, I'm sorry about the formatting problems. It should be fixed now. Major shout out to Golden Testament and TyberAurora for letting me know so quickly! I owe you guys big time!**

Percy POV

It had been two days since Jason and Thalia had learned the truth about Percy's and Nico's situation. _Well, some of the truth._ Percy mused to himself. There was so much more he could tell, but Percy wasn't ready to go down that road.

So instead, he lay on the floor of the Grace's house, staring up at the ceiling of the Grace's house, lost in thought, and listening to Nico snore from on the couch. Percy allowed himself a small smile. In the two days they had been there, Saturday and Sunday, the two of them had begged, pleaded, and even tried to bribe Thalia into letting them leave. Thalia refused. Now Percy had to got to school again. Oh well. He thought to himself _Two more months and I'll finally be free of that hellhole_. He was interrupted by a harsh whisper, coming from across the house. Percy strained to hear it.

It sounded like Jason and Thalia were arguing. "Thalia...This...you sure?" Percy heard, the words blocked out by Nico's snores.

"Yes. They...we should...is that...problem with you?" The other voice, who Percy was sure was Thalia, replied.

"No...I think...gonna be with..."

"Whatever...them...tonight"

"I still...take it well...I mean...He's..."

"...Care. It's...not going to...my mind"

Soon Jason and Thalia had started walking, and were out of earshot. Percy sighed. Now he would be left wondering all day.

* * *

** 30 minutes later**

Percy and Jason were walking to school, the two of them in complete silence. It wasn't quite as far to Goode from Jason's house than from Percy's bridge. Yes, Percy's bridge. After living under it for almost three years, he figured he had the right to call it his own. After all, there was nobody willing to argue with him.

As the walk dragged on, Percy's mind began to wander. First to how heavy his bags were, then to the guitar itself. Jason said something to him, but his brain blocked Jason's voice out of his ADHD induced musing. He was thinking up words for their latest song, (There was no way he was going to be ready in two weeks), when a realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Jason" Percy said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, cutting Jason off mid-sentence.

"Yeah?" Jason replied, surprised by Percy's outburst.

"We're performing in 2 weeks."

"Uh yeah, Perce, we are" Jason said sarcastically. Percy continued

"We don't have a microphone"

Jason stood there silent for a moment. "Shit" he finally said. "How are we going to get one?"

"Steal one?" Percy offered

"Seriously dude?" Jason asked, shocked "From where?"

"School music department"

"No. We. Are. Not. Stealing."

"Then how else are we going to get one?"

"I don't know! Let's just get to school and I'll try to come up with a way!" Jason said, frustrated.

"Ok" Percy relented. "But seriously, all we'd have to do is..."

The rest of the walk consisted of Percy describing to Jason how they'd steal a mircophone,with each new idea being more outlandish than the the same time, Jason wracked his brain for legal ways to get a microphone on such short notice. When they were in sight of the school, Jason finally had an idea.

"How 'bout I talk to Reyna, Rachel, or maybe Annabeth, and see if they have one we can borrow, or if they know how much one costs?" Jason said. Percy just nodded, but the second Jason said those names, Percy's face had transformed itself into a grim mask of indifference. It was the same mask he wore to school every day.

"Okay" Jason said, and turned to head into the building, while Percy would sit outside, in the warm March weather, and play guitar for a while until class started.

Percy stood in front of the school for a minute, facing the benches and tables he normally played at. He should have gone over there, but something held him back. Finally he spun around. "Jason! Hold up" He called after the other boy. When Jason stopped, Percy jogged ahead to catch up to him.

"What is it, man?"

"I..I just" Percy stuttered out, nervously. "I just wanted to say thanks, for all the stuff you and Thalia have done for me and Nico." When Jason nodded, he continued. "And that if you don't want to be seen with me while we're here, I'm fine with that."

"Why would I want that?" Jason asked, totally confused. "I mean, we're already having this conversation, and you have basically spent the last, like, month at my house."

"Yeah I know" Percy said, looking down at the ground, his voice quite. "Okay" He said at last. But Jason didn't move. It was almost like he was expecting the rest of the sentence, which Percy had thought only he knew was there. "Just...please don't involve me with _them_." Percy spat the last word like it burned his mouth just to think about saying it.

"Okay" Jason said after a moment, nodding.

"Thanks" Percy said, and started to walk towards the doors. Suddenly, his knees buckled, and he fell to the concrete, landing in a kneeling position. Black spots danced across the corners of his eyes, while his head started pounding. _Please, not again!_ Percy shouted inside his head. _Not now! Not again, please. Please please please please please not again. No one needs to know! Just not again!_ He begged, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

Mercifully, his head stopped pounding, a few seconds later, and the black spots disappeared from his vision.

"Are you ok?!" Jason asked, worried, and if Percy was hearing correctly, a little afraid.

"Yeah" He said, forcing a smile. He prayed that it looked convincing enough.

"Alright. I guess I'll head to class." When Jason said this, Percy breathed a silent sigh of relief. _Another day, another lie, and another nightmare._ Percy thought bitterly, as he watched Jason walk towards the doors.

* * *

**I'm so sorry if this sucks. I've had no time and no inspiration. I've also had another idea for a story to write. The idea hit me in the middle of swim practice, during a 200 IM, (Shout out the swimmers who know what I'm talking about!) and I might start writing it. If I do, I WILL NOT BE ABANDONING THIS! So, until next time, adios, and PLEASE REVIEW. (It makes me happier and it makes me write faster.) -The Shadow of the Wolf.**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Look at this! It's another chapter! So before we start, I have a few announcements to make. One: I am not going to be abandoning this story. I will keep updating it. I've gotten some messages telling me not to abandon this, and I don't plan on it. Two: Soon, I will probably start another story. It'll still be Percy Jackson, but I'm not going to tell you guys more than that. And three: I'm so sorry guys, but I probably will only be able to update once a week. Please don't kill me! **

**I don't own any of the characters in the story. **

**And now, onto the story-The Shadow of the Wolf **

Chapter 7: Two weeks out

Jason POV.

Jason was seriously worried about Percy. As he walked to his first class of the day, Math, he thought about what had happened that morning. After spending close to a month with Percy, Jason had started to pick up on some of the strange things that he did. Like how Percy rarely said anything about his past, or how much he hated Annabeth, Luke and the others. Even though the "Popular Crowd" had other victims, and all of their victim hated them, none of those victims could produce even half of the hatred Percy had for them.

He was so lost in thought that Jason didn't notice where he was going, until he walked straight into someone. _Not just someone_, He mentally corrected himself. _Luke_. Sure enough, Luke Castellian and four of his football players standing in a half circle in front of some lockers.

"What the he.." Luke growled, whirling around to face Jason. "Oh. It's just you Grace"

"Yeah. Sorry man. Just wasn't paying attention" Jason said, trying to act calm.

"No Problem." Luke said, clapping Jason on the back. "Now get to class", Luke said, giving a small laugh.

'Will do" Jason replied, giving a forced laugh. "But shouldn't you?"

"I've got some business to finish" Luke said, pointing to the lockers were his four friend stood. Huddled at he bottom, was a small, scared looking freshman. He looked up at Jason with pleading eyes, begging him to make it stop.

"What did he do?" Jason asked, gesturing downwards.

"Doesn't matter" Luke said, and if it was at all possible, the freshman shrank further back into the lockers.

"Then let it go" Jason said

"And why should I do that?" Luke demanded, visibly angry

Jason shrugged. "Annabeth will kill you if you get caught." He could almost see the gears turning in Luke's head as Luke debated whether or not this freshman was worth getting killed by his girlfriend. Finally he sighed.

"I guess you're right Jason. Come on guys." he said, and left, the four football players behind him. Soon it was just Jason and the freshman.

"Scram kid" Jason said before the freshman could thank him. "And hope he doesn't remember you."

With that, the freshman shot off like a bullet, sprinting to his next class. Jason sighed, and continued on his journey to math.

* * *

**Later that day **

Jason's morning had dragged on in a seemingly endless cycle. And, he still hadn't gotten When lunch finally arrived, he rushed out of his class, and quickly found his "friends" standing around by the doors.

Trying to avoid Luke, after what happened that morning, Jason found himself in the back with Rachel and Drew.

"What took you?" Rachel asked when they started walking outside.

"Mr. Blofis held us late. Something about trying more on tests."

"Fun." She said, following Drew out the doors.

"Yep." He said. Finally he got around to asking about the microphone. "Hey Rach, do you know..." He was cut off by a wall of very familiar guitar chords. _Not again_. Jason inwardly sighed, bracing himself for what was coming. The whole group stopped.

"God, couldn't he play something actually _good_!" Drew complained, shocking Jason to the core. To him, this was some of the best guitar he had heard. He could barely contain his outrage.

"W..What?!" Jason said, the shock written all over his face.

"Like, why can't he play some Michael Jackson or something?" Drew continued. "I mean, he'd still suck, but it wouldn't sound _this_ bad." By now, it took all of Jason's willpower not to slap her. But before Jason could open his mouth in Percy's defense, Annabeth butted in.

"You don't actually like this crap, Jason?" She asked.

"Nope" He said, swallowing nervously

"Good" Annabeth replied, nodding her head like that was the acceptable answer. Then she started walking towards Percy's table, pulling the rest of the group behind her. As the walked up to Percy, the crowd around him disappeared in a flash. Jason guessed they didn't want to be recognized by Luke. But Percy didn't notice, and kept playing.

"Jackson, turn that crap off." Annabeth said loudly over the music. Percy looked up, a small smile on his lips, but kept playing. "Come on, Jackson. Stop that god awful noise you call a pathetic excuse for music" Annabeth tried again. This time, Percy's smile only got bigger.

Quickly making sure no one was looking, Jason managed to catch Percy's attention, and dragged a finger across his next, a pleading expression on his face. Percy, still smiling, gave a barely noticeable shake of his head, and keep playing, never breaking eye contact with Annabeth.

"Well? Are you going to stop?" She cried. Jason could tell Annabeth was getting _very_ angry.

"No." Percy said. His was voice low, gravelly, and deadly serious.

"What?!" Annabeth demanded, outraged. If Jason had to guess, he would say this was the first time anybody had said no to her.

"You heard me." He replied, his voice still dangerously low.

"You did not just..." She shouted, until he cut her off.

"I did. Now leave."

Annabeth stood there, shocked, unable to speak. No one else moved. Percy stood there, glaring at her, his eyes blazing with fury. Jason had never seen someone look that angry.

After a long, hated filled moment, Annabeth stepped backwards, then turned around, and walked away wordlessly. The rest of the group followed close behind. This was the second time Percy Jackson had left them speechless.

* * *

**One Hour Later**

The startling events of lunch played through Jason's mind like a broken record. He was seriously starting to worry about Percy. First, Percy collapsed in the morning, then he makes a near-suicidal stand against Annabeth, and won! All Jason could think was _Luke's gonna get him for that. He'll grow a pair when he's surrounded by his thugs_.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice what was going on around him until someone tapped him on the shoulder. He whirled around, and came face to face with red hair and a pair of green eyes. It was Rachel.

"Jason, you do know that class is over, right?" She asked, gesturing to the fast emptying room.

"Oh, thanks Rach." He replied, only half paying attention.

"No problem" She said as the two of them walked out of the classroom. "So, what did you want to ask me at lunch?"

"Huh? Oh..right!" Jason replied. He hadn't remembered to ask Rachel about the microphone, and he hadn't expected her to remember he wanted to ask her something. "So... Do you know where I can get a microphone?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, sorry. Singing's not really my thing."

"Oh, alright" Jason said, hanging his head, disheartened.

"Try Reyna. I think she's in the choir."

"Will do. Thanks Rach." Jason said, before rushing off to his next class.

**TIME SKIP **

"And why do you need one?" Reyna asked him, annoyed. Jason had caught up to her after school had ended, praying she'd be helpful.

"Um..." Jason began. He hadn't truly thought about how he was going to explain this to the people at school. It's not like he could just say "Oh yeah. I'm in a band with Percy Jackson. You know, the kid you all hate for no reason. Anyways, we're performing in two weeks, and I _really_ need one."

"My friend wants to make a CD" Jason said after moment. "And I'm helping. We're looking for a microphone for the singing, and we're in over our heads." He hoped he sounded convincing.

"Fine" She grumbled. "I'll show you were they are. But you owe me."

"Thank you!"

They walked in silence, until they reached a room in the music hallway. Reyna fished around in her pocket for a few moments, them pulled out keys and unlocked the door. It was full of music stands, chairs, and other instruments. At least two dozen microphones stood on their cases in one corner

"What kind of vocals are they?"

"Um...Rock. But loud. And angry." Jason said, weakly. She walked towards the microphones, and Jason barely heard her mutter "Why am I doing this?" Soon, she picked one out, broke it down, and put the stand, chord, and microphone into case.

"Here. This should be fine." She said. "How long do you need it?"

"Just over two weeks." He said, and she sighed.

"Alright. But you better make it up to me. I'm not technically supposed to be doing this."

"Right." Jason said, and searched his pockets for a scrap of paper. When he finally found one, he wrote down his address on it. Seeing her confused look, he elaborated. "There. Be there on Friday evening in two weeks. If you don't enjoy it, then you can decide what I owe you. Deal?"

"Deal." She said, handing him the case. When he took it, she turned around and left. When she was about halfway down the hall, she called back. "This better be worth it, Grace!"

"Oh it will be!" He shouted after her. When she turned the corner, Jason turned and left. He had to find Percy. He only hoped that Percy hadn't managed to get himself killed since lunch. With Jason's and Percy's luck combined, Jason thought that was almost impossible.

**A/N: That's Chapter Seven! I hope you all enjoyed it. If you did, tell me! If you didn't, tell me! Bottom line: Please review. It makes me happy and helps me write faster. **

**P.S. : TheWritingGamer: Your review was one of the best parts of my whole day! Do you really rant about this with your friends! 'Cause if you do, I might just die of happiness. **

**Until Next Time-The Shadow of the Wolf**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello again people! It's time for another chapter! And thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, or even opening this story! Honestly, I wouldn't still be writing this if it weren't for the incredible feedback I've gotten from you all! That's about all I have to say. Onward! **

**Oh yeah, and here's that disclaimer thingy we all have to put here even though everybody already knows we don't own this stuff. **

Chapter 8. Percy POV

Percy leaned up against the wall outside Goode. School was over, and it was a mad rush to get out of the building on a warm, March, Monday. Percy's left hand was wrapped tightly around the handle on the case for Riptide, his electric guitar, while his right hand was clenched tightly into a fist. His wary eyes scanned the crowd. He _really _hoped Luke was done and wouldn't come after him again. He also wanted to find Jason, and get the hell out of there.

After about five minutes, Percy found Jason in the crowd, and shoved himself off the wall. Before he set off, he made sure to pull down the sleeves of his ratty blue and green flannel, covering up his wrists.

"I got it" Jason said when Percy came up to him. He grinned and held out the small black case in his hand.

"Nice. Who'd you have to bribe to get it?" Percy asked, cracking a small smile. The two of them set oft towards Jason's house, with Percy limping slightly.

"Technically no one." Jason said. When he saw the questioning look on Percy's face, he sighed. "Reyna"

"Wow. With what?"

"Told her to come by in two weeks."

"You did what?!" Percy asked, whirling to face his friend, shocked. He wanted to perform, but he didn't want any of _them_ to be there when he did.

"Whoa, hold up. I've actually got an explanation for this one!" Jason said, holding his hands out in the universal gesture for surrender. "If you want anybody to actually be there, she's your best bet, because hopefully she'll tell somebody, and soon enough we'll have a decent crowd. And, I doubt she'll recognize you up there, when you're up there."

Percy just thought for a minute, before accepting Jason's defense. "Fine. As long as you don't say a wad about it to Annabeth or Luke. 'Cause if you do, I'll murder you with your own drumsticks."

Jason nodded. "Don't worry about it. I won't tell either of them. I know how much you hate them." _You have no idea, _Percy thought bitterly.

With that, the two started walking again. After a minute of silence between the two, Jason finally asked question. "How would you kill me with my drumsticks?"

Percy turned his head, a grin spreading across his face. "Very creatively."

* * *

**Time Skip **

Jason and Percy walked into the Grace house, like every other day for the past month. But something was different about today. Percy could feel it in his gut. As well as the pain. But that was beside the point.

_Soon, he found himself thinking about the incident that morning. One question kept playing through his head. Why? _ He was so lost in thought that he just robotically followed Jason, not paying attention to where they were going. He didn't even notice Thalia standing in the hallway. _Why now? _He asked himself. _What could have set it off? I mean there was nothing t..._ Suddenly Thalia spoke up.

"Why are you limping Percy?"

"Uh...Dunno?" He said, knowing how pathetic it sounded. Thalia looked angry at that, but Percy wasn't sure if it was at him or at his terrible excuse. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. She glared at him for a minute, before turning around and walking away. Percy, still nervous, turned around to meet Nico and Jason in the garage.

"Hey Perce." Nico said, already sitting on a stool, leaning over his guitar.

"Hey Nice. Hey Jason" Percy replied, acknowledging his band mates as he sat down.

"So what should we start with?" Jason asked, getting right down to business.

"We've finished _Come as You Are_ and _About a Girl_." Percy said. "Let's finish _Aneurysm._" When they other two nodded, he pulled out Riptide, and Jason started to set the beat. Percy grinned. He loved this part. And he could tell they were in for a long night.

* * *

**Time Skip: 2 Hours **

Thalia had to drag the three of them out of the garage. Despite Percy's insistence that they were almost there and just need some more time, and Nico's surprising choice of music over food, Thalia was adamant.

As they walked out, Percy noticed that Jason was hanging at the back of the little group, not looking at any of them. _It probably has something to do with this morning's conversation._ Percy thought to himself. Mentally, Percy began to imagine the worst-case scenarios, and played them out in his head. It was a bad habit he didn't care to break.

When the four of them sat down at the table, no one moved. An awkward silence hung in the air, with Percy imagining bad scenarios, Nico looking confused, Jason looking guilty, and Thalia looking very nervous. The minutes slowly ticked by, the only noise came from the ticking of an old clock on the wall.

Nico broke the stalemate, finally, by reaching for the food on the table. _Naturally, it would be Nico to do that,_ Percy thought, grinning inwardly. They ate in silence, until Thalia finally said something.

"Percy, Nico" She said, slowly, like she was still planning what to say. "I have a...proposition for you two." Percy and Nico looked up, while Jason developed a very sudden interest in his carrots. _This is it,_ Percy thought, mentally bracing himself for the worst, and hoping Nico would do the same. Thalia continued on.

"I want you guys to stay here with us."

**A/N part two: Well, here you go. Another chapter is done. This is mostly just a filler chapter though. Sorry. But, as of right now, I'm technically on Spring Break, which means over this next week I will try to update as soon as possible! **

**P.S. Please don't hate me for how terrible and short this chapter is. I'll try to have another one up by Monday. **

**PLEASE REVIEW **

**Until next time - The Shadow of the Wolf**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Look at this! It's another chapter! So, there aren't any announcements for this chapter, so I'm going to reply to the reviews for the last chapter. Here goes.**

**TheWritingGamer: Thanks for welcoming me to FanFiction! Especially since it was a month late! But no, this isn't a second account, this is my first story on my first account. **

**And no, Percy didn't have an Aneurysm. Sorry, try again. ;) But is does have something to do with the brain. Good Luck! **

**TyberAurora: I know what you mean about Annabeth, and I agree with you. It just seems like every story that involves Percy being a musician has a PercyxAnnabeth story, and I didn't want this to be one of them. **

**And no, Percy doesn't have Epilepsy either. ;) **

**Bubblefish: Thanks! I did look up the song, but it doesn't seem like something I'd have Percy sing. He's more of a Grunge/Rock guy. Like Soundgarden, or Alice in Chains. And another group I won't mention, because I REALLY WANT SOMEONE TO RECOGNZE THEIR SONGS. **

**Softballchick1290:**** Thanks! **

**JakeWolf: Are you sure you aren't pyschic or something? **

**And now, onwards: **

**I don't own the series, and there's going to be a lot of swearing in this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 9 **

Percy POV

Percy's jaw hit the floor. Out of everything, he hadn't expected this. A quick glance to one side showed Nico's very similar reaction.

He had imagined that he and Nico kicked out and banned from ever seeing either of them. He was so surprised by this development, but Percy was even more shocked by the words coming out of his mouth.

"No. I can't" He said, causing Thalia's jaw to drop, and, if it was possible, Nico's to fall even further.

"You what?!" Thalia hissed at him.

"I can't."

"And why is that?" Thalia asked, growing angrier by the minute.

"I...I can't tell you. And I can't force you to help me."

"You aren't forcing me. Now give me a good reason, damn it!"

"The only reason you're doing this is because I'm homeless." Percy said, trying as hard as he could to keep his cool. "And I don't want your charity" He muttered the last part under his breath.

"Say that again." Thalia threatened. Obviously, she heard him.

"I don't want your charity." He said a little louder. When he saw her still glaring at him, he lost it."I. Don't. Want. Your. Fucking. Charity!" He shouted, pouring all his rage into one sentence.

"It's not charity!"

"I doesn't fucking matter what it is! I was fine on my own for TWO FUCKING YEARS!"

"You can't go on like that. Let someone else care, for once in your goddamn life!" Thalia retorted.

"NO! Every damn time I fucking let someone care, they turn around and fucking screw me over!" Percy howled, not at Thalia, but just to himself. Black spots danced across his eyes again, cutting off his vision. His head pounded, his brain trying to smash itself against his skull. He knew what was coming, but he was too angry to care.

The two of them had been slowly leaning across the table to face the other, ending up so close that their faces were almost touching. Jason and Nico had slipped away and were standing in the doorway,watching nervously.

When Thalia finally spoke up again, her voice was just a barely audible whisper.

"Don't you think it's time someone proved you wrong?"

Then suddenly his rage was gone. His vision cleared, and for the second time that day, Percy was recovering from _almost_ having another episode. He fell backwards, and slumped in his chair in defeat.

"Fine. But one condition"He said.

"Which is?" Thalia asked, visibly surprised by Percy's sudden transformation.

"You take any and all of the money I give you."

"Um...Ok?" Thalia said, only more confused by this. Percy just nodded, then got up, and walked out of the room.

* * *

Thalia POV

10 hours later.

Thalia was woken up by the sound of guitar chords. They were quite, like the player was in a different room, and trying to play quietly.

_If that's Percy and them, I'm going to go skin them alive. _She thought. Then, as soon as she said Percy, her mind shot back to last night. _I should really talk to him. I hope he's not still pissed. _

As it turned out, the three boys were not in the garage, thankfully. In fact, Jason and Nico were still asleep. Only Percy was missing. His backpack was still there, but the guitar was gone.

Thalia roamed the house, looking for Percy. As far as she could tell, he wasn't anywhere, but she could still hear faint guitar chords.

When she reached her room, which was on the top floor with a bay window, she noticed the music was louder. _No. He's not out there, is he?_ In a moment, she had crossed the room, and flung open the windows. It was not yet dawn, and the air was still cold. The music was much louder now.

_The idiot's actually on the roof, _Thalia thought, before climbing out. Looking around the roof, she saw that Percy was sitting, leaned against the other bay window, for the guest room. Now that she was out here, she could hear that he was singing.

_Da duh da dum _

_Bring your friends, _

_It's good..._ "No that's not right" He said, before leaning over and scribbling something. Careful not to slip, Thalia made her way across the roof until she was next to him.

"Hey" She said awkwardly, before sitting down next to him. A silence hung in the air until she pressed on. "I wanted to..." Percy cut her off.

"Sorry 'bout last night." He said, still looking down and absently strumming his guitar. "I shouldn't have lost it."

"You're fine. I shouldn't have, either." Percy nodded, and mouthed a thank you, before going back to playing his guitar. The two of them sat there for a minute, until Thalia noticed the notebook sitting open on the roof. "Do you mind if I flip through this?" She asked.

"Nah" He said. As she looked through it, Thalia saw that the notebook was full of dark strange drawings, and angsty lyrics and poems. She wasn't sure if it had been an hour, or five minutes since she came out there. Finally she asked: "So how long have you been out here?"

He shrugged. "Since dinner. Needed some time to think" Thalia looked at Percy, studying his face. His shaggy black "rocker" hair hung down well past his eyes, obscuring the angry, sea-green whirlpools that were his eyes. If she looked hard enough, she could visibly see all the pain behind those eyes. She pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh Percy, what happened to you?"

"I..." He started, and for one moment, she thought he might cave. "I can't tell you." He said finally.

"I know." She said, sadly. "But just know, you have people you can rely on. Nico. Jason. Me." Thalia let go of him, and pushed off of the roof. She was about to leave, when Percy replied.

"Thank you, Thalia. For everything."

**That's a wrap! Sorry about all the swearing. **

**PLEASE REVIEW **

**Until next time- Adios and Allons-y! **

**The Shadow of the Wolf**


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Look what happens when you give me a week off! No announcements today, so I'll do some more review answers: **

**Guest: Thanks!  
**

**Slightly Afraid: You guys have no idea how much reviews like this mean to me. Thank you so much. **

**TyberAurora: I know dude, I know. Also I don't know what the pairing is, but it won't be Percy and Thalia, because she's like six years older than him! **

**Jake Wolf: You seem to say that a lot, but it still means a lot to me. Thank you. **

**TombSphynxAva: YES! THANK YOU! SOMEBODY FIGURED IT OUT! And no, PTSD isn't the root of the problem. Nice guess though. **

**TheWritingGamer: Nope, You're getting colder. **

**Kitty Aceres: You know it! **

**demigodVixen: Thanks. And I think that's everybody's favorite :) **

**NameUnknown: Don't worry, that's not happening **

**And Thank you's to: Guest, Other Guest, AyAliceTonksHPJ, and Savannah. **

**Now onwards! (And there's more swearing in this one) **

**And, Thank you to TheWritingGamer, for telling me about how it's illegal to use complete song lyrics. I didnt write any of these songs, they were written by Krut Cobain, and all credit and anything else goes to him and Nirvana.**

* * *

Percy POV

Two weeks later, Day of the Concert.

_"How could you do this to me?" He said, his voice breaking. _

_"Why do you care? I did it, and there's nothing you can do about it" She replied, her voice full of malice, while an evil grin spread across her face. _

_"You were my best friend! " _

_"And you're the one who changed that." She said acidly. _

_"I loved you!" He howled, consumed by pain and rage. _

_"You're nobody. Why would I ever love you?" She sneered. _

_He couldn't speak. His vision darkened, and he could feel the tears in his eyes. He thought he knew her. Thought she cared about him. Obviously he was wrong. _

_"Why don't you just run back to Mommy? Oh wait, you can't. SHE'S DEAD!" She shouted, but her voice was cold, unlike his, which was full of emotion._

_"FUCK. YOU!" He replied. Her words suddenly ignited a fire in him he thought had died. "I HATE YOU!"_

_"I know." The girl said. But just for a moment, her voice seemed almost sad. Then it was gone in heartbeat. _

_"I don't ever want to see you again" He said, his voice lower now. _

_"Oh you will. Mark my words. But it will be on my terms." She sneered at him. Then she walked away. _

_"I loved you. And I think I still do." He said, so quiet that he could barely hear himself... _

...Percy jolted awake, covered in sweat. "Damn it. Not again" He muttered to himself, before swinging his legs off the edge of the couch. He sat there for a moment, before he noticed that his hand were shaking extremely fast."Come on. Not today. Please not today" He begged, and mercifully the shaking stopped after a moment.

Quickly, Percy changed into a pair of tattered black jeans, and black t-shirt Jason had given to him, and a blue and red flannel. They were the best clothes he had. For a moment he considered doing something with his raven-black hair. He hadn't cut it in two months, and it hung down to his chin, and over his eyes. In the end he left it alone. It might help disguise him from whoever decided to show up.

Over the past two weeks, Jason and Percy had been (discreetly) hanging up posters advertising a rock concert around the schools, while Nico and Thalia hung signs around the neighborhood. Percy just hopped that people would read them.

After a moment of though, he shook the hair out of his eyes, and set off into the garage, to get a few hours of practice in before tonight.

* * *

6:00-Showtime

"You guys ready for this?" Thalia asked, hovering near the garage opener.

"As I'll ever be" Percy said, fidgeting with Riptide's strap. Jason and Nico nodded their agreement. Thalia went to press the button, but Percy stopped her. "Wait. How many people are out there?"

Thalia waited for a moment, then replied. "Enough." Percy nodded.

"Let's do this" He said, and Thalia pressed the button, then ducked out the door with a bucket. She was going to go out into the crowd and collect tips.

The door slowly inched upwards with an awful screeching sound. When the door had been raised high enough to see out into the crowd, Percy's jaw dropped. _Enough_ didn't quite cover it. There was almost a hundred and fifty people standing in the driveway, on the lawn, and sitting on their cars.

When the door finally stopped, Percy walked up to the microphone nervously. Tapping it a few times to get the crowd's attention, he started to talk. "Um...So I've never done this before,so we're just gonna get started. This one's called _About a Girl_" With that, he launched into the open chords of the song.

_"I need an easy friend_

_I do with an ear to lend_

_I don't think you fit this shoe_

_I do, but do you have a clue?_

_I'll take advantage while_

_You hang me out to dry_

_But I can't see you every night_

_Free_

_I do..._

_...But I can't see you every night_

_No, I can't see you every night_

_Free_

_I do ...  
_

_I do ... _

_I do ... _

_I do ..."_

...And then the song was finished. Percy stood there, trying to comprehend the noise he was hearing. _The song's over, isn't it?_ He thought, confused. Then he realized , with a shock, that the crowd out there was actually _cheering_ for them!

Slowly the cheering stopped,and Percy spoke up, his voice rough and low. "This one's called _Dumb." _ He said, before the next song began. Like _About a Girl,_ this song was slower, but this one seemed sad, while the other was regretful.

_"I'm not like them  
But I can pretend  
The sun is gone  
And I have a light  
The day is done  
And I'm having fun  
I think I'm dumb  
Maybe just happy  
_

_Think I'm just happy" _ He sang repeating the last line three times.

_My heart is broke_

_And I have some glue  
Help me inhale  
Mend it with you  
We'll float around  
Hang out on clouds  
Then we'll come down  
Have a hangover...  
_

_Skin the sun  
Fall asleep  
Wish away  
Soul is cheap  
Lesson learned  
Wish me luck  
Soothe the burn  
Wake me up..._

_...I think I'm dumb__"_

"Thank you" Percy said with a small smile, waving slightly to the crowd. He was to lost in his own music to notice how tired he was. "We've got three more for you tonight, and this next one is called _You Know You're Right" _ He said, now almost grinning. _You Know You're Right_ was different from the others. It was much angrier.

_"I will never bother you  
I will never promise to  
I will never follow you  
I will never bother you_

_Never speak a word again  
I will crawl away for good  
I will move away from here  
You won't be afraid of fear..._

_It's so warm and calm inside_

_I no longer have to hide  
Lets talk about something else  
Steaming soup against her mouth..._

_...No thought was put into this  
I always knew it would come to this_

_Things have never been so swell!  
I have never felt this well!_

_Pain!" _He repeated, three times.

_"You know you're right"_ He snag, repeating that one line over and over.

_Pain..." _He finished, his voice hoarse and cracking.

* * *

Piper POV - Twenty Minutes ago

Piper sat on her couch, trying to watch TV. It was Friday, at the end of March, in her Senior Year. So, she naturally didn't want to do anything.

"BzzzzT!" Her phone rang, destroying the relative peace of the room. A quick glance at the screen revealed that It was Reyna, one of her best friends. With a sigh, she flipped open her phone and hit answer.

"What is Reyna?" Piper asked exasperated. She just wanted to relax on her Friday afternoon.

"Piper! You've got to get down here!" The other girl shouted into the phone, obviously excited.

"Why are you shouting?" Piper asked, now more confused than annoyed.

"Sorry! Its really loud here!"

"It's fine" Piper said, even though the voice coming through the phone didn't get any quieter"And where is 'here'?"

"Some kick-ass rock concert Jason told me about! It's great! You totally have to get down here!"

"Fine, just get me the address."

"Sure" Reyna said, before dropping off the line. For a moment all Piper could hear was cheering and Electric Guitar. "Alright, got it. It's 1412 Olympus way. Now get down here!" With that, Reyna hung up.

The drive there was short, and boring. _At least the place was easy enough to find, _She thought, smilling. There were cars parked up and down the block, and then all Piper had to do was follow the music. On the way there,she literally bumped into Reyna.

"There you are Piper!" She said.

"Yep." The other girl responded. "I can see what you meant about it being loud here"

Reyna grinned, but before she could a very loud voice cut her off.

"I'm sorry people, but we've only got one more song for you tonight." The singer said, and Piper got her first look at him. His clothes were ratty, and mostly black. His hair, which was also black, hung down over his eyes, covering them up from the world. Something about that annoyed Piper. Overall, he looked familiar, like Piper knew him,but couldn't recognize him. "This one's called_ Come as You Are" _

_"__Come as you are, as you were,_

_As I want you to be_

_As a friend, as a friend, as an old enemy._

_Take your time, hurry up_

_The choice is yours, don't be late._

_Take a rest, as a friend, as an old memoria... _

He sang on,

_...No I don't have a gun  
_

_No I don't have a gun _

_No I don't have a gun _

_No I don't have a gun_

_Memoria  
_

_Memoria"_

By the end of the song, Piper was almost in a trance. She couldn't help but rock out to the song. The dark, angry lyrics, and the brutal guitar chords made the music so appealing to her more than she could have thought.

"Sorry people, but that's it for us" The strange boy said, and the crowd, and Piper, sighed in defeat. "I know, I know. But I'll see you back here in two weeks, okay?" He said, smiling, while the crowd around him cheered. "Thank you all for coming out here! Goodnight!" The boy shouted, as he jumped up, grabbed something, and yanked it down.

In a flash, the garage door slammed shut, hiding the band, and leaving over a hundred people standing outside a suburban house.

**A/N: That's a wrap! What did you guys think of Percy's first concert. Also, I'm still taking guesses to what Percy's mystery aliment is. And as usual, please review.**

**I'm gonna put up a poll soon to help me decide the pairing for this story. The options are: **

**1) Piper **

**2) Reyna **

**3) Zoe (I'll add her in later chapters if she gets votes) **

**4) Annabeth (It's not happening, I just want to see how many people want this.) **

**There is an actual poll for this, so PLEASE USE IT! IT EXISTS FOR A REASON!**

** Until next time- Adios and Allons-y! **

**- The Shadow of the Wolf.**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm finally back! Thank you all for waiting for the next chapter. I'll do a few review answers, but first, here's the results of the poll: **

**Zoe : 7 **

**Reyna: 6**

**Piper : 3 **

**Annabeth: 5 **

**So far Zoe is our winner! I'll leave it open for a few days, but still. And, just because Zoe's winning, that doesn't mean it'll happen. I'm still undecided. And now, my favorite part! Review replies! **

**Windy day 1117: No comment. But seriously, don't ever get rid of your wild imagination. How do you think I write this stuff? **

**ItTicklesLikeCrazy: Thank you. I'm glad you figured out that connection. **

**Ricewong: Nope **

**TheWritingGamer: You are becoming one of my favorite reviewers, and it's really funny. Thanks for the warnings, and in answer to your...options: No, no, ish, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, partly, that's kinda part of it, I don't know what that is, so no, kinda?, again, don't know what it is, still don't know, maybe I'm not sure, and no. How was that? **

**I'm sorry, but I'm gonna cut it off here. If I didn't reply, sorry, but just know that I read and archive ALL the reviews I get. **

**Oh, and Mr, Mathias and There's Always An Exception: Thanks, but it's not happening. I did the math. In this, as of now, Thalia is 26, and Percy is 18. That's kinda weird. **

**Disclaimer thingy that no one cares about: I Don't own PJO or Nirvana.**

**Lastly, I have something I feel that I need to say. Exactly 20 years and eight days ago, Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, died from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. He was 27 years old. He once said "In Webster's terms, 'nirvana' means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that's pretty close to my definition of punk rock." Kurt Cobain is my hero. When I listen to Nirvana, its like nothing else in the world. I'm not going to act like I understand the true meanings and pain behind the music, but nothing sounds better to me than his music. **

**This story, the inspiration, the motivation, the characters, almost everything about it, originally came from Nirvana. Because of all that Kurt Cobain has done for me, even though he is long gone, this story is my tribute to him and his legacy. RIP Kurt Cobain. I hope that whatever happened in the end, you found your Nirvana, your escape from suffering. Because you helped me find mine. **

**And now, on that depressing note, onwards! (Even more swearing here.)**

* * *

Percy POV  
Immediately after the concert

"That. Was Awesome!" Nico shouted as soon as the garage door slammed shut, leaving the band alone.

"Kick ass." Jason agreed. Percy could only nod his head and offer a small smile. The rush, the excitement, and the sudden lightness on his shoulders he had felt when he was playing had faded, replaced by exhaustion.

"Can we..." Percy said softly, gesturing towards the door. His throat hurt more than he thought possible, and he felt this strange burning in his gut. Overall, He just hurt like hell.

"Sure. Come on Nico." Jason said, opening the door. He stepped out, quickly followed by Nico, and a much slower moving Percy. While the three of them walked to the house's living room, Thalia appeared, lugging a heavy-looking bucket. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey Thals, what's in the bucket?" Jason asked as he moved to take it from his spiky-haired older sister.

"Change" Thalia said, still smiling.

"From?" Nico prompted, while Percy walked on silently.

"Tips" Thalia replied when they reached the living room. "Care to help me count it?"

"No" Percy said, as he fell face-first onto the couch. "Make Jason and Nico do it" He half mumbled into the couch pillow.

"Oh I will. But you're not getting off the hook that easy."

"Come on, Thalia", Percy whined.

"No" She said firmly. "Why should I?" She continued as she dumped the bucket onto the floor in a water fall of silver and bronze metal. Percy thought for a moment, before grinning. He turned to face Thalia.

"Because," he started, "A slightly emo bass guitarist once told me, and I quote, ' With great musical talent...Comes a great need to take a nap. Wake me up later'" With that, he turned back to facing the pillow, and closed his eyes.

He heard Nico complain "I am not Emo!", and Thalia mutter something like "You're such a kelp head", before his world faded to black.

* * *

_"Where the hell do you think you're going?" A fat, balding man snarled at him. _

_"Away from you" He replied, shoving clothes into a bag angrily. _

_"Nun uh. You're staying right here, Punk" The man snarled. _

_"And why should I?" He asked, his anger threatening to boil over. He turned around to get to his dresser when he felt a hand yank him backwards. _

_"Because you owe me, kid" The man said angrily. He snapped. His vision turned black, then red. He went to step forward, then spun on the ball of his foot and smashed his fist into the man's face. _

_"I owe you? That's fucking rich. After everything you did, did to THEM, you have the fucking nerve to say I owe YOU?" He said, while the fat man held his nose and checked for bleeding. _

_"You little brat!" The man snarled as he staggered to his feet, and then suddenly lunged for him, swinging a meaty fist at him. It caught him square in the face. He recoiled, before responding in kind. The fat man staggered back and swung blindly, and he tried to kick him in the stomach. It didn't work. _

_The man grabbed his leg and yanked him crashing to the floor. Before he even had a chance to recover, the man kicked him viciously in the side, each kick more painful than the last. _

_He rolled onto his left side, moaning in pain. The man grabbed his right shoulder and pulled him so he was flat on his back. "You done yet punk?" He snarled, his beer breath rolling onto his face in waves. He spat in the man's face. and then swung his right leg between the man's two. The man crumpled as he got up, and as he fell he punched the man in the face. _

_He finished grabbing clothes as fast as he could, and shoved them into the bag. The man was still on the floor groaning in pain. He grabbed the bag and a black case, and walked as fast as he could towards the front door. _

_"Fine then, leave!" the man shouted, still on the floor. "See if I care" _

_He had almost made it to the front door, when he spun around. "Wait" the man croaked. _

_"Go fuck yourself" he replied, opening up the door. _

_"Just..." _

_"No. I only have one more thing to say to you. I'll see you in hell." He said, before stepping out the door... _

And Percy Jackson shot awake, covered in sweat, and the only thing he could think was _Not Again._

* * *

**And that's the end of Chapter 11! Sorry it's so short, but I though I owed you another chapter. These next two-ish will be fillers, but there's more stuff coming!**

**I am still accepting votes on the poll. **

**Oh, and TheWritingGamer: because you're one of my favorite people, I'm giving you a hint. Look up the lyrics to Come as You Are. The Chorus is your hint. **

**Please review! **

**Until Next Time, Adios and Allons-y! -The Shadow of the Wolf.**


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